Photographs from New York City by Richard Sandler
Street photography is very difficult. The number of really good images that you get is very small in comparison to the number of pictures taken. With that in mind, I think you’re better off letting your intuition completely run wild.
Walk the streets without destination, turning left or right on a street corner or staying in one place, as your gut instinct tells you. Listen to your feelings.
Bend low and shoot up to make one shot, or stand very tall and shoot down for another;
Look thru the viewfinder when you can, but still shoot when you can’t…..Blur motion at 1/60th of a second, or shoot at 1/500th…..Mix it up…..experiment. Look for subject matters that pose more questions than answers. Look for enigmas more than cliche’s.
Even when you find interesting subject matter it is still hard to make a good picture, because the formal arrangement is also a huge issue and people are moving and things are moving, so it’s a lot to orchestrate; that’s why i say that street photography is the perfect medium for obeying your intuition.
For me street shooting is very much like meditation, in the sense that you’re in the moment and responding to it.
I try to eliminate extraneous thoughts when i’m shooting. Staying mentally focused is always a wonderful psychological and diaristic exercise… at best you get a compelling image, and when you don’t,
at least you have had the experience being ‘in the moment’ all day long, and that’s a very good thing… and like any art form, it reveals your subconscious.
– Richard Sandler
